Who wrote Sesotho first?

 Who wrote the first Sesotho text?

By: Khauhelo Banyane

Basotho have a very interesting history, mainly because they are part of an African group of people known as the Bantu group. This group is said to have originated in the West-Central parts of Africa, mainly Nigeria and Cameroon. They later migrated down south and settled in the southernmost region of the continent. Upon reaching the south, they branched out. The two most prominent groups today are the Nguni, which is the biggest group in South Africa. It mainly consists of the amaXhosa, amaZulu, and amaNdebele tribes. This is followed by the Sotho/Sotho-Tswana group, which is the second largest in the country. It consists of Basotho, Batswana, and Bapedi. Of all the Bantu groups in Africa, the Sotho-Tswana group is the most different. Unlike its brothers, Sesotho uses a disjunctive writing system and is vocally different from them, especially the Nguni who are found in Southern Africa alongside them. It is said that Basotho settled in the south and then forged a new way of speaking. These languages today are mainly known as Selozi, Sesotho, Setswana, and Sepedi.

This question has always plagued my mind: If we used drawings and symbols as writing, then that means someone introduced letters to us. Obviously, it was our colonizers, but how exactly? Teaching someone your language cannot be nearly as hard as trying to translate theirs into yours, especially if you do not understand it. So, how did they do it? Most importantly, how did they get them to accept it? Formally speaking, scholars and researchers have not found proof that before colonization Basotho had written texts. In fact, the language is believed to have been oral, which happens to prove the notion that African history is found in stories passed down from generation to generation. Basotho used proverbs, riddles, songs, clan names and praises, etc. to pass teachings and messages.  We have all heard the stories of grandparents sharing stories with the young over a meal at night by the fire, stories of warriors and hunters coming back and relaying their tales to a group of people gathered around them. Sometimes it would be a grand occasion, where the entire village is present and the biggest animals would be slaughtered. The people would enjoy a grand feast and amazing tales. This was language in Africa. People came together and spoke. However, now people gather in a building and sit in silence meters away from each other. The white man has a saying that goes "knowledge is hidden in books," while a black man understands knowledge to come from shared stories and experiences. With such contrasting views, how did the white man finally get a black man to sit down and write his stories instead of sharing them in a gathering of  people? He used a book, a robe and a building. Once he got the black man to listen to him, he introduced church and the bible. Thus beginning the process of winning over the black man. However, this is not a bad today. In fact, Basotho take pride in their individuality, including their way of writing. 

Eugene Casalis

Above is a picture of a man who shaped the way we write Sesotho today. According to sesothoweb.com [n.d.] and Baystate Interpreters, INC [n.d.], Eugene Casalis was a French missionary stationed in Southern Africa, Lesotho. In 1833, he published a book called 'Etudes sur la Langua Sechuana'. This was the first text written in Sesotho. Apparently, he taught his daughter the language too, because she married a man called Reverend A. Mabille, whom she taught the language to while they were in Europe. When he arrived in Lesotho, the reverend carried on his father-in-law's work. He even established a printing press in Morija, Lesotho, known as Morija Printing Works, which is still famously present and operational to this day. At this point, the foundation had been set. This made it easier for other missionaries to work on the language and produce a Bible for its people. They used the Kwena dialect as it was spoken by the late King Moshoeshoe, which is now the standard for the language. In 1872, John Bunyan produced the Sesotho version of the book 'Pilgrim's Progress', marking the acceptance and prosperity of the written language by its people. However, linguists Doke and Ziervogel had their reservations about the language. They argued that since Sesotho is a Bantu language, it must be written conjunctively like its sister languages. It did not make sense to them that two sister groups could be so vastly different in writing. So, to ease tensions, E.B. van Vyk suggested that Sesotho now take a semi-conjunctive approach. However, their arguments and views could not win the argument because Sesotho is still a disjunctive language system.

Helahelele Mostho! 

 Hore na o moSotho wa Leboa kapa wa Aforika Borwa, ikgantshe ka Sesotho sa haeno. Sengolwa sena ha se kene botebong, empa bonyane boo ke o fileng bona bo a paka hore ka nnete o tlameha ho kgaba ka Sesotho sa haeno. Pula.

I would like to close by saying that Basotho are known as a peaceful nation. Their most renowned king, King Moshoeshoe, bestowed this attribute upon them through his actions. Though in South Africa today, there are a few people who taint this good name, the vast majority still uphold it. The Kingdom of Lesotho is a natural paradise. It has views that will take your breath away, from clear streams of water to high rolling mountains and fields of grass and flowers that stretch as far as the eye can see. Take a trip to Lesotho. Reconnect. Recharge.